Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy

08/24/2026

🐻⬇️ Jumpstart your envt’l career with us! 🌎

Applications are now open for the first-ever DESERT-PFAS Student Grand Challenge! 🫨

Junior, senior, and graduate students at U of A are invited to apply to solve real-world challenges relating to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” taking place in our Sonoran Desert community.

PFAS are in our water, soil, food, consumer products, and even air. In Arizona, where PFAS management decisions intersect with water scarcity, rapid population growth, and diverse communities, we face urgent questions about long-term environmental sustainability, public health, and equitable risk management.

Addressing these challenges requires not only technical solutions, but also integrated, practical approaches that are responsive to community needs.

Selected students will work with UA faculty and professional mentors during the fall 2026 and spring 2027 semesters to tackle real environmental challenges related to PFAS and report on their findings and progress.

Partners include:

‍💼 Haley & Aldritch, Inc.
🚰 Tucson Water
🌵 Santa Cruz County Community Development Department
🏜️ Arizona Department of Environmental Quality

Build your professional training and network, receive mentorship in solving cutting-edge problems, meet milestones you set with your teammates and mentors, receive a $1,000 award per person at the end of the program!

⚠️ 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟯𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟭:𝟱𝟵 𝗣𝗠! ⚠️

APPLY TODAY!

🔗Details and application here: https://udallcenter.arizona.edu/desert-pfas-student-grand-challenge

08/21/2026

How can cities better prepare for a hotter future? 🌡️🏙️

In a recent Smart Cities Dive interview, Ladd Keith, director of the University of Arizona Heat Resilience Initiative at the Arizona Institute for Resilience and Associate Research Professor at the Udall Center, shares practical solutions every city can take to protect residents from extreme heat.

From establishing cost-effective investments and creating a heat action plan to strengthening partnerships across agencies, Keith emphasizes that preparing for rising temperatures requires long-term planning and coordinated action – not just emergency response.

As Keith puts it, "𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀."

🔗 Read the full interview at the link below!

https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/extreme-heat-3-steps-every-city-should-take/825864/

08/20/2026

River deltas are among the world's most productive ecosystems – but they're also on the front lines of climate change. 🌊

In a new Onewater article, PhD candidate Sayanangshu Modak and Udall Center Director Andrea Gerlak explore how sustaining river deltas requires more than engineering solutions.

Drawing lessons from the Netherlands and the Colorado River Delta, the authors argue that long-term, inclusive, adaptive governance is essential to building resilient delta communities.

🔗 Read the full article at the link below!

https://onewater.blue/article/a-global-agenda-for-sustaining-river-deltas-getting-at-governance-bdbbcfe4

08/19/2026

🚨 Applications open Monday! 🚨

Ready to tackle one of Arizona's biggest environmental challenges?

The DESERT-PFAS Student Grand Challenge gives University of Arizona juniors, seniors and graduate students the opportunity to work alongside faculty mentors, industry partners and fellow students on real-world projects addressing PFAS, or "forever chemicals."

With this opportunity you will:

- 𝗚𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀-𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
- 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸
- 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗮 $𝟭,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
- 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗮

This is your chance to develop practical skills while working on solutions that matter.

🔗 Learn more and be ready to apply when applications open Monday at the link below!

https://udallcenter.arizona.edu/programs-projects/desertpfas/desert-pfas-student-grand-challenge

08/18/2026

08/17/2026

Can solar panels protect workers from extreme heat? ☀️🌱

New coverage highlights how agrivoltaics – the use of land to grow crops underneath solar panels – can create cooler growing conditions, reduce water use, and improve crop resilience in hot climates. The shade keeping the soil cool may also help keep farm workers alive.

Those cooling benefits are also helping researchers better understand how to prepare for rising temperatures and protect public health.

The person who has spent the longest making the case for the biggest crop-based agrivoltaic sites in the country is Greg Barron-Gafford, a University of Arizona professor who runs a lab with the acronym ‘SALSA,’ which stands for Semi-Arid Lab for Scaling Agrivoltaics. And it just so happens that the Director of the Udall Center, Andrea K. Gerlak, is a frequent collaborator with Barron-Gafford, as well.

At the U of A, this work brings together expertise across disciplines, with researchers advancing agrivoltaics research and examining how innovative solutions can strengthen heat preparedness and resilience.

By connecting renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and heat health, researchers are finding ways to build more resilient communities in a warming world. 🌾🌡️

🔗 You can read more about agrivoltaics at the link below!

https://www.autonocion.com/us/arizona-solar-panels/

08/14/2026

Congrats to Chris Impey on being named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar! 🎉🌍

A distinguished professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona and a 2023–2024 Udall Center Fellow, Chris Impey has been selected for one of the nation's most prestigious international academic honors.

As a 2026-27 Fulbright Scholar, he will travel to the University of Copenhagen to advance science education, communication, and public engagement while collaborating on research exploring quasars and the role of supermassive black holes in galaxy evolution.

Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, Professor Impey! We look forward to seeing the impact of your work both at the University of Arizona and around the world. 👏✨

🔗 See all seven UA educators that were named 2026-2027 Fulbright Scholars at the link below!

https://news.arizona.edu/news/seven-u-educators-named-2026-2027-fulbright-scholars

08/13/2026

💧 The future of the Colorado River is at a critical crossroads.

In a recent interview, Udall Center Director Andrea K. Gerlak broke down the high stakes behind the “Countdown to Deadpool” moment in which decades of water agreements are expiring, states remain at an impasse, and the federal government may soon be forced to step in.

What has happened since? The states failed to come to that consensus, leaving the decisions to the Federal Government.

With Arizona and the broader Southwest facing potentially severe cuts to water supplies, Gerlak highlights not just the urgency of the crisis, but the deeper policy and governance challenges shaping the river’s future.

As negotiations continue, one thing is clear: how we share and manage this essential resource will define the region for generations to come.

🔗 🎥 Find more information and watch the full interview at the link below to hear Dr. Gerlak explain what is at stake and why it matters now more than ever!

https://udallcenter.arizona.edu/news/countdown-deadpool-colorado-river-crisis-looms-states-fail-reach-agreement-how-share-cuts

08/12/2026

Read Ladd Keith’s superhero origin story.... 🦸‍♂️🌎☀️

Keith - associate professor in the UA College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture; associate research professor at the Udall Center; and Director of the U of A Heat Resilience Initiative at the Arizona Institute for Resilience - was highlighted in the U of A Alumni Magazine Summer 2026 story "Tucson Grown," showing how his research on heat planning, policy, and governance came to be after growing up in Southern Arizona.

Keith, a three-time graduate from the University of Arizona, reflected on how a trip to Japan changed his career trajectory, as well as his time working with local governments in his home state and helping shape international approaches to extreme heat. His work demonstrates how U of A research is making communities safer and more resilient in a warming world.

🔗 Read the full Arizona Alumni Magazine feature to learn more about Ladd Keith's work and its global impact at the link below!

https://alumni.arizona.edu/arizona-magazine/summer-2026/tucson-grown

08/12/2026

The Project on Indigenous Governance and Development at Harvard Kennedy School is now accepting submissions for its new Working Paper Series!

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Harvard Kennedy School Project on Indigenous Governance and Development Working Paper Series. This new series provides a dynamic forum for the circulation of working papers produced by scholars, leaders, and community members. We welcome submissions that explore a wide range of topics related to Indigenous Peoples, including Self-Determination, Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, Political Institution Building, Property Rights and Legal Institutions, Natural Resources and Conservation, Social and Economic Outcomes, and Data Creation and Collection. Our goal is to showcase novel and innovative ideas that contribute to the advancement of Indigenous governance and development. Learn more and submit here: https://indigenousgov.hks.harvard.edu/working-papers

The mission of the HKS Project on Indigenous Governance and Development is to conduct and promote collaborative research, learning, and teaching that improves the political, social, cultural, and economic wellbeing of all Indigenous Peoples, nations, and communities. Our efforts are dedicated to supporting Indigenous Peoples’ sovereignty and the rights to self-determination and self-governance. Please note that there is a terms of service document and privacy statement that you’ll have to agree to. Please review these documents prior to submission.

We invite you to submit your working papers to our series and join us in fostering research and dialogue in this vital field. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis.